Hesitation on baby girl's name

Girl Names
1

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] all,

I have a son named [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m] [name_u]Everett[/name_u] [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] _ with an Italian last name that doesn’t sound all that Italian. We call him [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m] or [name_m]Leo[/name_m] for short (his initials). He also gets called [name_f]Lori[/name_f], Lorenzino on occasion when he’s with relatives.

The name must be considerate of US, UK and [name_f]Italy[/name_f] customs/popularity.

We are expecting a baby girl this autumn.

(Despite the pressure) We don’t feel like she has to have an Italian name bc the ones we like we don’t like enough for them to be “the one”.

My favorite names for her are [name_f]Annelise[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] and [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]. I also like [name_f]Violette[/name_f] and [name_f]Lavender[/name_f] but my husband has 100% ruled out [name_f]Lavender[/name_f] as it is close to the word for a washateria in [name_f]Italy[/name_f].

My husband likes [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Giulia[/name_f]. When I suggest other names, he always goes back to [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]. To him, because it’s not popular in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], it doesn’t register to him as a popular name. I [name_f]DO[/name_f] NOT like [name_f]Giulia[/name_f] bc I don’t like Gi Italian names that are J in English and [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] doesn’t feel right to me.

I really want a pretty/feminine, [name_f]NON[/name_f]-TRENDY name that has history to it, classic, not overdone with a sweet nickname that will work in US, UK and [name_f]Italy[/name_f]. By it working in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], it just has to be familiar enough that they can pronounce it, but doesn’t have to be Italian. For example, [name_u]Everett[/name_u] gives problems in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], but [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] is familiar enough they get it. I also want to use at least one flower/color name like [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], etc.

Our top name is [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], but I’m hesitant…
Why?

  1. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is really popular in the US and UK
  2. I HATE the nn [name_u]Charlie[/name_u]/[name_u]Charley[/name_u] for a girl and am not sure I’ll be able to avoid it.

She was going to be [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] nn [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and I still may use that. [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Annie[/name_f]. So cute together!

The problems with [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] are: (I say ahn-na-LEES or [name_f]ANN[/name_f]-eh-lees)

  1. People seem to have strong feelings on the name. You either like it or hate it. My husband will only go with [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] if I insist but kind of likes [name_f]Annie[/name_f].
  2. Hard to spell or there are so many spellings out there and different pronunciations.
  3. The Italians are going to automatically call her [name_f]Annalisa[/name_f], I know it, which I don’t like as much and is considered a very out of fashion name there.

[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] has similar issues. Is it emma-[name_f]LINE[/name_f] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f]-LEEN? [name_m]How[/name_m] do you avoid [name_f]Emma[/name_f] nn? Which I don’t dislike, just it is EVERYWHERE in all three countries.

I think I’m just looking for reassurance. [name_f]Do[/name_f] [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] work together? Or [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m] and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]? [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]???

I’m a name nerd at heart and can not believe I may go with such a popular name and that this is giving me so much stress!

2

*** I should have mentioned I am open to name suggestions since I am in such hesitation. Thanks!

3

What about [name_f]Carlotta[/name_f]?

4

The Italian pronunciation of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is car- [name_m]LOTT[/name_m] -tay. Given that, I’d still prefer [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] over [name_f]Carlotta[/name_f].

5

Hmm…

[name_f]Artemisia[/name_f]
[name_f]Antonina[/name_f]
[name_f]Camilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Serafina[/name_f]

Those all come to mind as border-crossing options that are less popular, but still mostly intuitive to spell and read in either language if someone is unfamiliar with them.

I think [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] would be more difficult, but [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] seems fine based on your rationale. You could definitely use [name_f]Annie[/name_f] as a nn for [name_f]Antonina[/name_f].

6

You have beautiful choices! I have to say that [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is stunning and I love it. But, your husband doesn’t. Hopefully, he will warm up to it! I’m not great with international names, but how about:

[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosa[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]

7

I love [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f], so that would be my pick (pronounced [name_f]EM[/name_f]-uh-leen). I think if you called her [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] or [name_f]Lena[/name_f] you could avoid [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. I also like [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lottie[/name_f] and hate [name_u]Charley[/name_u] on a girl. I guess it’s possible she could decide to go by that as a teenager, but you could probably avoid it when she’s a kid by using [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]. [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] is nice too and yes she will have to spell it but I don’t think that’s a huge deal. I wouldn’t worry about [name_f]Annalisa[/name_f] sounding out of date unless you live in [name_f]Italy[/name_f].

Other ideas:

[name_f]Amalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurelie[/name_f] (I heard this pronounced au-[name_u]RAY[/name_u]-lee and love it)
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Bianca[/name_f]
[name_f]Evelina[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Luciana[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]

8

If it makes you feel any better, out of deference to my husband, we gave one of our own a rather popular moniker. He has always loved the name, while I have not. However, over the years it has grown on me and I can’t think of having it any other way.

So…[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] may grow on you. Plus [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Lottie[/name_f] - such a cute nickname sibling pairing! [name_f]Carlotta[/name_f] could potentially work as an additional nickname, too, for your Italian relatives.

9

Thank you! For a long time her name was [name_f]Annelise[/name_f]/[name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] in my mind. The flipping of the first and second names just started last month.

10

We live in Europe full time right now and spend a few months every year in [name_f]Italy[/name_f]. 90%+ of my husband’s family speak only Italian. It’s been a struggle trying to find Italian names we both like bc names like [name_f]Luciana[/name_f] or [name_u]Luca[/name_u] sound nice to my English speaking ears, but in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], [name_f]Luciana[/name_f] is very out of style right now and [name_u]Luca[/name_u] is so so so overused. Many of our Italian family members are venturing out to use [name_m]French[/name_m] or English names or are digging deep into Latin/[name_m]Roman[/name_m] names to freshen it up. [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m] seems to be one of the few boy names there that is actually well liked, has history and not terribly dated or completely overused. Give it a couple more years… lol

11

[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] is such a beautiful name, let me just say!

12

If [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is on both your list and your husband’s, I’d be inclined to go with that. Ideally both parents would love their child’s name equally, though I realize that that often won’t happen! I love [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], personally, it’s a beautiful and classic name that’s both elegant and down-to-earth at the same time. There are so many lovely namesakes from history, literature, etc. [name_f]Lottie[/name_f] is less popular so if you find that you’re coming across a lot of other Charlottes, you can use [name_f]Lottie[/name_f] more. There are so many nickname possibilities that you can always find one to differentiate her from others- [name_f]Carly[/name_f], [name_f]Lolo[/name_f], [name_f]Cara[/name_f], etc. I wouldn’t worry about the nickname [name_u]Charlie[/name_u]. I know two Charlottes and one only uses her full name, the other gets [name_f]Char[/name_f]-[name_f]Char[/name_f] from her parents and a few others but is [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] to most people.

[name_f]Annelise[/name_f] is also very sweet and charming- I’d love to meet an [name_f]Annelise[/name_f]! All names will have fans and detractors, if you tried to pick a name that everyone would love she’d never get a name, but the important thing is that you love it. I wouldn’t worry about it being hard to spell or pronounce either. I know a lot of people with unusual names who have to explain the spelling/pronunciation to every other person they meet and they don’t mind, they’re used to it. There’s nothing wrong with [name_f]Annalisa[/name_f] being dated if you like it, and if you don’t, could you introduce her as just [name_f]Annie[/name_f] in [name_f]Italy[/name_f] so they don’t jump to [name_f]Annalisa[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Lise[/name_f], whatever nickname works in [name_f]Italy[/name_f].

If you love [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f], I’d go for it anyways even if there will be pronunciation issues. (FWIW, I say emma-leen.) [name_f]Em[/name_f] or [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] tend to be more intuitive nicknames for [name_f]Em[/name_f]- names, so I don’t think she’d get [name_f]Emma[/name_f] much unless she encouraged it.

If you like [name_f]Violette[/name_f], what about a variant or similar name like [name_f]Viola[/name_f], [name_f]Valentina[/name_f], [name_f]Valencia[/name_f], [name_f]Colette[/name_f], [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f]? If [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] doesn’t feel right to you, would something like [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] and [name_f]Araminta[/name_f] be better, that your husband also likes? Would you like [name_f]Giulia[/name_f] better spelled [name_f]Julia[/name_f], or something like [name_f]Julianna[/name_f], [name_f]Juliet/name_f or [name_f]Julietta[/name_f]?

Good luck naming your little one- you have a beautiful list to choose from!

13

[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] is golden so it fits your color or flower name box, but if it doesn’t feel right to you that’s ok. I like that [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is both a color and a flower, like [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] can represent the olive color and a tree. I like the combos that you have picked out. I like [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m] best, but if you and your husband are more evenly matched with [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] then that’s a big deal, and it goes well also. The [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] I know goes by [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]. Best of luck.

14

Congratulations!

I think [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Lotte[/name_f] make a sweet pair, even if [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is popular. Some other thoughts:

If [name_u]Luca[/name_u] is overused in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], might [name_f]Lucia[/name_f] work? I like the previous suggestion of [name_f]Viola[/name_f], too

I’m not quite sure how popular you want the names to be in each country? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you want to avoid the top 10? Would you like it to be in the top 100?

Here are a few more names that might work in [name_f]Italy[/name_f] (I done know much about popularity there) and are familiar in the UK and US. Some are quite popular, others quite rare or old-fashioned:

[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f]
[name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Anabella[/name_f] ([name_f]Annie[/name_f])
[name_f]Valeria[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]
[name_f]Greta[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanora[/name_f]
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f], [name_f]Elsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Carina[/name_f]
[name_f]Fia[/name_f]
[name_f]Marcella[/name_f]
[name_f]Ariana[/name_f] , [name_f]Arianna[/name_f]
[name_f]Alessia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ella[/name_f]
[name_f]Liana[/name_f]
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f]
[name_f]Aria[/name_f] , [name_f]Arietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Calla[/name_f]
[name_f]Ilaria[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Adela[/name_f]
[name_f]Fenna[/name_f]
[name_f]Amara[/name_f]
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f]
[name_f]Marina[/name_f]
[name_u]Zola[/name_u]
[name_f]Rafaela[/name_f]
[name_f]Marissa[/name_f] / [name_f]Marisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Nerida[/name_f]
[name_f]Mila[/name_f]
[name_f]Lila[/name_f]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_f]Delia[/name_f], [name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_f]Fenella[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]/ [name_f]Teodora[/name_f], [name_f]Theodosia[/name_f]
[name_f]Finola[/name_f]
[name_f]Silvia[/name_f], [name_f]Silvana[/name_f]
[name_f]Ravenna[/name_f]
[name_f]Ludovica[/name_f] (I know not everyone loves this like I do)
[name_f]Pelagia[/name_f] (likewise)
[name_f]Isabel[/name_f] (or [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], but that’s quite popular)
[name_f]Rosalind[/name_f], [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f]

I’ve heard these are fairly popular in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], too:
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]

I think most Italian names work fine in English-speaking countries.
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] and [name_f]Violette[/name_f] are all nice options. I’m sure whatever you choose will work well. Good luck with the search.

15

What about [name_f]Antonia[/name_f], with the nickname [name_f]Annie[/name_f]?
Also, I really like [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]!

16

What do you think about [name_f]Annora[/name_f]?

[name_f]Annora[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]

Nn [name_f]Annie[/name_f]

Too many Rs?

17

[name_f]Annora[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] sounds fine, not too many Rs, unless your last name also has Rs in it, in which case it might be a bit much. Though you’ll basically never call her by her full name (I’m never called by mine at least), so it’s not a huge issue. [name_f]Annora[/name_f] doesn’t have the same spark for me as [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] does, personally. But if it’s the name you love, go for it! :slight_smile:

18

Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet is [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], or [name_f]Emiliana[/name_f]. You could definitely use [name_f]Ana[/name_f] or [name_f]Annie[/name_f] as a nn w/[name_f]Emiliana[/name_f]. I don’t know much about Italian names/what’s popular in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], so I’m not sure if [name_f]Emiliana[/name_f] would be useable there, but it seems like it should be easy to spell/pronounce.

According to BehindtheName, [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] is the Italian form of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]. I’m not sure if you like the K-sound or prefer the Sh-sound…? At the academic library where I work, we had a lovely student worker who was named [name_f]Carolina[/name_f]; she pronounced it Kah-roh-LEEN-ah. [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]? You could even use [name_f]Cari[/name_f] as a nickname…

Good luck, whatever you choose! :slight_smile:

19

Husband shot down [name_f]Annora[/name_f].

20

That’s a good use of both [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] and [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] = [name_f]Emiliana[/name_f]. While I don’t personally know any Emilianas in [name_f]Italy[/name_f], I know quite a few Emilianos. I don’t know what it is about the name because on paper it should be one I like, but it’s just not doing it for me. Maybe too many syllables? Not that too many syllables has ever been a problem in [name_f]Italy[/name_f]… lol.

My mothers name is a feminine version of [name_m]Charles[/name_m] as well. I was thinking if I did go with [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Annelise[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], her initials would be CAR and I could call her [name_f]Cara[/name_f] (dear in Italian) or [name_f]Carla[/name_f] as a nn. Or we could just call her [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]. It’s only 2 syllables.